Europeans say they don’t want British tourists to come to their countries
According to a YouGov poll, Europeans want British tourists to stay away this summer, most likely reflecting the fact that the UK recorded the highest coronavirus death toll in Europe
People in Spain, Germany, France and Italy put the UK at the bottom of the list for unrestricted travel. They said they were opposed to letting UK tourists in the country if they had not spent any time self-isolating.
Sixty-one per cent of people in Spain were opposed; in Germany, the figure was 58 per cent; and in France the figure was 55 per cent.
Italy was the sole European country in which a majority of citizens were not opposed to UK tourists, with 44 per cent opposed, 39 per cent supportive, and 16 per cent saying they didn't know.
Only tourists from China and the US were more unwelcome than Brits, according to the poll. Meanwhile, 75 percent of Spaniards and 70 per cent of Germans said they opposed unrestricted tourism from the US.
The UK government announced last week that people in England would be able to travel to 59 countries without having to quarantine for 14 days upon their return. The list, which takes effect Thursday, includes Germany, Italy, Spain, and France.
However, the poll also found that few Brits wanted to vacation abroad this year anyway, with the ‘no destination’ option supported by more than 21 per cent of respondents.
The poll also found that Britons were opposed to foreign visitors coming to the UK – majorities of British respondents opposed visitors from Spain, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, and even Denmark, which has counted relatively few coronavirus cases.
Visitors from China and the US were by far the least welcome. Seventy-two per cent of British respondents said they opposed tourists from China, with just 13 per cent in favour, while 76 per cent said they opposed visitors from the US, compared with just 11 per cent in favour.
While ITIJ does not support the breeding of contempt between nationalities, it certainly seems that many people are concerned about the spreading of Covid-19 from destinations with high rates of new and existing cases as international travel begins to relax. Successful health and safety regulations before, during and after travel will be paramount to instilling an increased level of traveller confidence.